19 CFR 111.30: Notification of change in address, organization, name, or location of business records; status report; termination of brokerage business

(a) Change of address. A broker is responsible for providing CBP with the broker's current addresses, which include the broker's office of record address as defined in § 111.1, an email address, and, if the broker is not actively engaged in transacting business as a broker, the broker's non-business address. If a broker does not receive mail at the broker's office of record or non-business address, the broker must also provide CBP with a valid address at which he or she receives mail. When address information (the broker's office of record address, mailing address, email address) changes, or the broker is no longer actively engaged in transacting business as a broker, he or she must update his or her address information within ten (10) calendar days through a CBP-authorized electronic data interchange (EDI) system. If a CBP-authorized EDI system is not available, then address updates must be provided in writing within ten (10) calendar days to the processing Center.

(b) Change in organization. A partnership, association, or corporation broker must update within ten (10) calendar days in writing to the processing Center any of the following:

(1) The date on which a licensed member or officer ceases to be the qualifying member or officer for purposes of § 111.11(b) or (c)(2), and the name of the licensed member or officer who will succeed as the license qualifier;

(2) The date on which a licensed employee ceases to be the national permit qualifier for purposes of § 111.19(a), and the name of the licensed employee who will succeed as the national permit qualifier; and

(3) Any change in the Articles of Agreement, Charter, Articles of Association, or Articles of Incorporation relating to the transaction of customs business, or any other change in the legal nature of the organization (for example, conversion of a general partnership to a limited partnership, merger with another organization, divestiture of a part of the organization, or entry into bankruptcy protection).

(c) Change in name. A broker who changes his or her name, or who proposes to operate under a trade or fictitious name in one or more States and is authorized by State law to do so, must submit to the appropriate Executive Director, Office of Trade, at the Headquarters of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, evidence of his or her authority to use that name. The name must not be used until the approval of Headquarters has been received. In the case of a trade or fictitious name, the broker must affix his own name in conjunction with each signature of the trade or fictitious name when signing customs documents.

(d) Triennial status report—(1) General. Each broker must file a triennial status report with CBP on February 1 of each third year after 1985. The report must be filed through a CBP-authorized EDI system and will not be considered received by CBP until payment of the triennial status report fee prescribed in § 111.96(d) is received. If a CBP-authorized EDI system is not available, the triennial status report must be filed with the processing Center. A report received during the month of February will be considered filed timely. No form or particular format is required.

(2) Individual. Each individual broker must state in the report required under paragraph (d)(1) of this section whether he or she is actively engaged in transacting business as a broker.

(i) If the individual broker is actively engaged in transacting business as a broker, the individual broker must also:

(A) State the name under which, and the address at which, the broker's business is conducted if he or she is a sole proprietor, and an email address;

(B) State the name and address of his or her employer if he or she is employed by another broker, unless his or her employer is a partnership, association or corporation broker for which he or she is a qualifying member or officer for purposes of § 111.11(b) or (c)(2);

(C) State whether or not he or she still meets the applicable requirements of §§ 111.11 and 111.19 and has not engaged in any conduct that could constitute grounds for suspension or revocation under § 111.53; and

(D) Report and certify the broker's compliance with the continuing broker education requirement as set forth in § 111.102.

(ii) If the individual broker is not actively engaged in transacting business as a broker, the individual broker must also:

(A) State the broker's current mailing address and email address;

(B) State whether or not he or she still meets the applicable requirements of §§ 111.11 and 111.19 and has not engaged in any conduct that could constitute grounds for suspension or revocation under § 111.53; and

(C) Report and certify the broker's compliance with the continuing broker education requirement as set forth in § 111.102.

(3) Partnership, association, or corporation. (i) Each partnership, association, or corporation broker must state in the report required under paragraph (d)(1) of this section the name under which its business as a broker is being transacted, the broker's office of record (see § 111.1), the name, address and email address of each licensed member of the partnership or licensed officer of the association or corporation, including the license qualifier under § 111.11(b) or (c)(2) and the name of the licensed employee who is the national permit qualifier under § 111.19(a), and whether the partnership, association, or corporation is actively engaged in transacting business as a broker. The report must be signed by a licensed member or officer.

(ii) A partnership, association, or corporation broker must state whether or not the partnership, association, or corporation broker still meets the applicable requirements of §§ 111.11 and 111.19 and has not engaged in any conduct that could constitute grounds for suspension or revocation under § 111.53.

(4) Failure to file timely. If a broker fails to file the report required under paragraph (d)(1) of this section by March 1 of the reporting year, the broker's license is suspended by operation of law on that date. By March 31 of the reporting year, CBP will transmit written notice of the suspension to the broker by certified mail, return receipt requested, at the address reflected in CBP records. If the broker files the required report and pays the required fee within 60 calendar days of the date of the notice of suspension, the license will be reinstated. If the broker does not file the required report and pay the required fee within that 60-day period, the broker's license is revoked by operation of law without prejudice to the filing of an application for a new license. Notice of the revocation will be published in the Federal Register.

(e) Custody of records. Upon permanent termination of brokerage business, written notification of the name, address, email address and telephone number of the party having legal custody of the brokerage business records must be provided to the processing Center. That notification will be the responsibility of:

(1) The individual broker, upon the permanent termination of his brokerage business;

(2) Each member of a partnership who holds an individual broker's license, upon the permanent termination of a partnership brokerage business; or

(3) Each association or corporate officer who holds an individual broker's license, upon the permanent termination of an association or corporate brokerage business.